Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma called for negotiations among all sides in
Ukraine's spiraling political crisis Tuesday, hours after the opposition leader
declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election to the approval
of tens of thousands of street protesters.

Opposition leader
Viktor Yushchenko's top ally Yulia Timoshenko places carnations into
shields as riot police guard the Ukrainian presidential administration
building in Kiev, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004. Several thousand opposition
leader Viktor Yushchenko supporters marched to the presidential
administration building, skirting some heavy trucks that blocked the
street and standing in front of riot police who guarded the building.
Yushchenko declared himself the winner of a disputed presidential election
and took a symbolic oath of office Tuesday as tens of thousands of his
supporters stood their ground in the tense, freezing streets of Kiev for a
third straight day. [AP]

"We now have decided
to give the possibility to Kuchma to form proposals for talks," Yuliya
Tymoshenko said, according to Interfax. It was not immediately clear when the
talks might take place.

The startling development in the three-day standoff came as the Bush
administration urged the Ukrainian government not to certify results of Sunday's
runoff election results that showed Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, backed by
Kuchma, defeating the Western-leaning Viktor Yushchenko.

"The United States is deeply concerned by extensive and credible indications
of fraud committed in the Ukrainian presidential election," White House
spokeswoman Claire Buchan said.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin, who supported Yanukovych in the
campaign, criticized Western assessments of the vote as flawed, stressing that
the results were not yet official. On a state visit to Portugal, he called for
calm and respect for the law in this former Soviet republic.

Kuchma's statement was read on state television as tens of thousands of
Yushchenko's supporters stood their ground in the tense, freezing streets of
Kiev for a third straight day. They have vowed to stay until officials nullify
the results of an election they say was rigged.

In his statement, Kuchma referred to the demonstrations as "political farce
... (which is) extremely dangerous and may lead to unforeseeable consequences."

Although the harsh description seemed to indicate that Kuchma was disinclined
to take the opposition's position seriously, he nonetheless called for all the
country's political factions to enter into talks.

"We should peacefully and with consideration discuss the complicated
situation and propose to society real steps for getting out of the crisis," the
statement said.

"I am convinced today that this is the only route in the search for a
balanced position on not allowing Ukraine to split into pieces," he added.

The election commission's announcement that Yanukovych was ahead of
Yushchenko has galvanized anger among many of Ukraine's 48 million people.
Official results, with more than 99.48 percent of precincts counted, showed
Yanukovych leading with 49.39 percent to his challenger's 46.71 percent. But
several exit polls had found Yushchenko to be the winner.

In Washington, four diplomats at Ukraine's embassy signed declaration
accusing their government of subverting the will of the people by favoring
Yanukovych.

Russia, meanwhile, lashed out at the United States for what it called
"unprecedented interference" in domestic affairs after U.S. officials allegedly
took Moscow to task for recognizing Yanukovych's victory.

During the day, Yushchenko supporters followed their candidate to a special
session of parliament, waving orange flags and chanting "Criminals go away!" As
night fell, more than 10,000 marched to the presidential administration
building, skirting some heavy trucks that blocked the street and facing off with
hundreds of police in full riot gear who were guarding the site.

The demonstrations have been peaceful so far, but fears are running high they
could deteriorate into violence ！ either out of the protesters' frustration or
attacks by foes.

After dusk, more than a dozen busloads of Yanukovych supporters were seen
parked on the fringes of downtown Kiev in the falling snow, and rumors persisted
that provocateurs would try to infiltrate the rallies, disguising themselves by
wearing orange armbands ！ Yushchenko's campaign color.

Yushchenko and his backers accuse authorities in the Central Election
Commission of rigging the balloting in favor of the Kremlin-backed Yanukovych.
Western observers criticized the election as widely flawed by multiple voting
and apparently inflated turnout figures in Yanukovych's stronghold eastern
districts.

"Ukraine is on the threshold of a civil conflict," Yushchenko told an
emergency session of parliament. "We have two choices: Either the answer will be
given by the parliament, or the streets will give an answer."

The parliament session did not muster a quorum ！ many of Yanukovych's backers
were absent ！ and concluded without taking action on a measure to nullify the
vote. But immediately afterward, Yushchenko went to the podium and took an oath
of office, his right hand on the constitution and his left on a Bible.
Pro-Yushchenko lawmakers, who had urged him to take the oath, shouted, "Bravo,
Mr. President!"

The irregular procedure was not legally binding, parliament speaker Volodymyr
Lytvyn said. But its symbolic weight was considerable ！ a declaration that
Yushchenko doesn't intend to back off.

In televised comments, Yanukovych called for national unity, saying: "I
categorically will not accept the actions of certain politicians who are now
calling people to the barricades. This small group of radicals has taken upon
itself the goal of splitting Ukraine."

Pro-government political factions late Tuesday called on all sides to
negotiate, the Interfax news agency reported, but Yushchenko's backers have
dismissed the idea of compromise.

Yuliya Tymoshenko, one of Yushchenko's most fiery allies, urged lawmakers
"not to go into any negotiations," saying they should "announce a new
government, a new president, a new Ukraine."

A half-dozen large cities already have declared they recognize Yushchenko as
president, and Kiev's city council has called on the national parliament to
declare the vote invalid.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators were outside the parliament building as
the emergency session took place. Several hundred pushed through metal barriers
surrounding the building, but backed off at the urging of pro-Yushchenko
lawmakers, and much of the crowd later went back to the central Independence
Square area, the nerve center of the demonstrations.

Police estimated the total number of demonstrators at 40,000 but independent
estimates ranged well above 100,000 and as high as 200,000.

The protest has grown exponentially since its beginning Sunday night as a
post-election rally and "parallel vote count."

The demonstrators have erected hundreds of backpacker-type tents ！ most of
the same make ！ in neat rows along Khreshchatik Boulevard, the main downtown
thoroughfare, placing them on wooden pallets with thick plastic-foam slabs as
insulation against the cold and snow.

Obvious police presence at the demonstration has been extremely low.

Earlier, Yushchenko and his allies released a statement appealing "to the
parliaments and nations of the world to bolster the will of the Ukrainian
people, to support their aspiration to return to democracy."

The opposition will conduct "a campaign of civil disobedience" and "a
nonviolent struggle for recognition of the true results of the election."